Effect of subtracting a percent from a quantity: Subtracting 6% of A from A is equivalent to multiplying A by what factor?
Aptitude
Percentage
Difficulty: Easy
Choose an option
Answer
Correct Answer: 0.94
Explanation
Introduction / Context:When a fixed percent of a quantity is removed, the remainder is a specific fraction (or decimal) of the original. This is a routine transformation used frequently in successive change problems.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- You remove 6% of A from A.
- We want the multiplicative factor applied to A to obtain the remainder.
Concept / Approach:Subtracting 6% means retaining 100% − 6% = 94% of A. Converting 94% to decimal gives the multiplier.
Step-by-Step Solution:
A − 6% of A = A − 0.06A = (1 − 0.06)A.(1 − 0.06)A = 0.94A.Hence the factor is 0.94.Verification / Alternative check:Example: If A = 100, subtract 6% (6) leaves 94, which is 0.94 * 100.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- 9.4 and 94 are increases by factors of 10 or 100.
- 0.094 is 9.4% of A, not 94%.
- 0.964 is 96.4%, not 94%.
Common Pitfalls:Misplacing decimals when converting percents to decimal multipliers. Always divide the percent by 100 to get the factor.
Final Answer:0.94